Comfort zone

Finland is a great country for a photographer, especially for a street shooter. It is totally legal to photograph people in public places, if those photos are not for commercial use. No one is coming to question your intentions, and no police is coming to bother you in the name of "National Security".

But, while the legislation is not a hindrance, the nature of the people might be. I heard a story about Bruce Gilden (you know the guy who's stalking people with a camera in his hand and a flash in another hand, jumping abruptly in front of his subject and firing away). Gilden held a workshop in Finland and after that went shooting with his distinctive style. After few hours he came back and said"Well, perhaps my style does not work in every culture". Camera was still in one piece, though.

We Finns are quite serious about our personal realm. In a bus or train, our last choice is to sit next to someone, if there's only a solitary seat available. And, we do not inrude into some stranger's territory by trying to start a conversation.

This, of course, is also a hindrance for a Finnish photographer. I am always feeling very uncomfortable when I'm trying to shoot a candid shot of someone in the street. "What if s/he notices me?" "What if s/he gets angry?" One friend once told me that my view angles were quite shy.

I really have to find my way out of my comfort zone.